1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing unit and a method for executing image processing in a system wherein a virtual environment or artificial reality is generated, by displaying a necessary image in a head mounted display in response to a movement of a view direction of a person mounting the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the system generating the virtual environment or the artificial reality, regarding the sense of sight, an image processing unit generates the necessary stereo image using a computer graphic technique. The image is displayed on a head mounted display mounted on the head of a user and is updated in every instant in response to movement of the properly detected view direction.
The stereo image is displayed, for example, by generating separate left and right images corresponding to the view difference between both eyes, and the head mounted display is constituted such that watching the respective images by one eye only is possible.
To detect the movement of the view direction, a sensor mounted on the head and a signal source generating, for example, a magnetic signal or the like are used, position data and a direction or the like of the sensor with reference to the signal source are measured, whereby the position and the movement of the head are detected, and thus, the view direction is determined by the movement.
The updating of the image following the view direction is carried out by the determination of the view direction receiving a measured value at each period by the sensor, by the determination of a new image wherein the view direction is the center of the field of the vision, and by updating the new image in the display image.
In the updating of the image following the view direction, it takes a comparatively long time to generate the stereo image to cover one whole view field. For example, it takes at least about 100 milliseconds in each one frame.
On the other hand, the image must be changed at the speed of about 30 frames/second so that the person feels a natural movement for the moving image. The above updating time cannot satisfy the above request, and there arises the problem that a smooth moving image cannot be obtained.